‘This is what tradition is - the condition of the future being in the past.’ Sybil Marshall

Many museums, galleries, historic sites, houses and gardens have long tradition of using storytellers within their interpretation. When a performance storyteller works in a museum or gallery, it is an opportunity for the public to view the site and the artefacts within it through the eyes of a creative artist. The oral narratives performed help audiences of all ages to read or decode the imagery of artefacts and to contextualise exhibits.

The narrative museum
Stories can immerse an object - be it a tiny shard of pottery, a painting, a statue, or an entire building - in our imagination, allowing it to be perceived in a completely new light. In addition, any given object gives rise to many stories - for example there might be a narrative behind the iconography that decorates the object, the object itself might play a part in another story (historical or imagined) and then there's the story of how the object came to be created, and the story of how it came to be in the collection, and so on.

It can be argued that for the greater part of humankind's existence, art the world over, has been created in response to narrative – often religious or mythic. It is also evident that not all stories are sacred, and it doesn't take that long to find layers of story lurking just as strongly behind secular art. Traditional narratives themselves (folktales, fairytales, myths, epics, legends, jokes, riddles and so on) form an enormous part of what UNESCO calls 'intangible heritage'.

Storytelling in museums and galleries engages audiences through narrative, leads to greater understanding, and provides a route to discussion and debate about exhibits and artefacts, history, specific countries, cultures and traditions, habitats or environments - and the process of art itself. Such work demands that artists engage with the fascinating dynamic between pedagogical imperative, interpretation and creative response.

Placing a storyteller in a museum Collaboration between the heritage sector and storytellers can be extremely fruitful and inspiring. The fabulous variation between museums, their exhibits, their interpretative approaches, their resources and the event programmes they run, means that there are endless variations in the ways in which storytellers can work in these environments. The formats for performance vary, Gallery performances involve a performer working in a ‘found’ performance space within a gallery performing stories which relate to, are inspired by, are from the culture of, or directly interpret the artefacts around the. ‘Storywalks’ involve a roaming storyteller who gathers an audience who then journeys with them though the museum or gallery environment – stopping in different spaces and at different artefacts to tell stories, or to incorporate something new into a single on-going narrative. Formal performances can take place in lecture theatres, teaching rooms, etc, integral to the cultural venue. This allows for longer, more formal, performances to take place, after which the audience may be able to explore the venues collections and reinforce the imagined narrative experience.

Sourcing storytellers
The Crick Crack Club offers advice on programming storytellers in museums and galleries. We can devise storytelling programmes appropriate for all sections of the museum audience: whether adults, family groups, or formal school parties. We can source storytellers to work alone, in combination with, or alongside other artists, and can organise events tailored to meet the requirements of the individual museums, including workshops, formal or informal performances, outreach programmes, long-term residencies and festivals or celebratory events.

MLA London's guidance on using storytelling in museums

CCC HOME PAGE